Process and apparatus for cracking oil



May 19, 1931. L. KlRscHBRAuN PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CRACKING OIL Filed Aug. 21, 1922 Patented May 19, 1931 UNii'iiD STATES PATENT ori-ica LESTER KIRSCHBBA'UN, 01?' CHICAGO,y ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL OIL PROD- A 'UCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA rnocnssmin APPARATUS ron cmicxme `oir.

application mea August 21, 1922. seria; No. 583,408.

This invention relates to improvements in process and apparatus for cracking oil and refers more particularly to a method and apparatus for handling the oil in the expansion or vapor chamber, and in certain other features which will appear from the following description.

A The single gure is a somewhat diagrammatic view, partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation, of my improved apparats.

By means of the present invention, a profound agitation of the oil in the expansion chamber is obtained, thus tending to obviate precipitation of carbon and facilitate evolution of vapors.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 1 designates a furnace in which is mounted the heating coil 2, which may take the form of a continuous coil of 2- to 4 pipe, from 50 to 150 feet or more in length. The oil enters this pipe through the feed pump 4 and feed line 5, provided withv throttle valve 6, passf of openings the transfer line 7 having to the u per end of an expansion chamber 8, wliic may be located outside of the fire zone. This expansion chamber 8 is provided with a plurality of transversely extending partitions 9, 10, 11 and 12, dividing the expansion chamber into a yplurality of separate compartments or chambers, a, b, c, d and e. The oil, whether in liquid or` condensable or uncondensable gaseous form, passes from the chamber a to the chamber b through overflow pipe 13, having a horizontal extension 14 with a plurality 15 as shown.

ing out throng throttle valve vided. The compartmentsv may also have suitable manhole plates 19 for cleaning. The arrangement is such that a man coul stand on the outside of the expansion chamber and easily clean out the compartments.

The vapors pass out of the-compartment e through the valve 21, into tlie lower side of dephlegmator or partial condenser 22. Here the heavier vapors will condense and be Idrawn off through reiux line 23, having throttle valve 24, and conveyed back to the eed pump. Or

Similarly ,constructedoverllow pipes 16,17 and 18 are pro-1 vapor pipe 2O having throttle the condensate may be led elsewhere through line 25, valves 26 and 27 being shown to accomplish this purpose. The uncondensed vapors or gases pass out of the top of the dephlegmator through pipe 28 having throttle valve 29 to condenser coil 30, seated in condenser box 31 and thence to the lower end of the receiver 32 as shown at 33, the pipe 34 through which this condensate and uncondensable gases pass, being provided with a throttle valve 35. This receiver is provided with distillate drawoff pipe 36 having throttle valve 37, gas outlet pipe 38, having throttle valve 39. If desired, a plurality of alternatel disposed spaced partitions 40 and 41 may e interposed in the receiver, thuscompelling the uncondensable gas to traverse through an obstructed passage while in contact with the cooled liquid, thus having a tendency to condense out liquid from -the gas,` and tending to fix more of the gas in the liquid.

In carrying out the process, the oil may be heated in the coil 2, to 800 degs. F., treating for example, a midcontinent gas oil, the oil preferably maintained in liquid phase until it enters the expansion chamber 8 where vaporization takes place. The coil may be maintained under a pressure of from 100 to 300 pounds, more or less, as well as the rest of the system or a differential pressure may be maintained, as for example, 300 pounds on the coil, 200 pounds in the expansion chamber, and 150 pounds on the dephlegmator and 100 pounds on the condenser.

If desired, valves 42 ma be interposed in leach of the pipes 13, 16, 1 and 18, whereby a still furthendierential pressure may lbe maintained on `the compartments of the expansion chambers. This reduction` of pressure in stage to stage of the expansion Vchamber wouldy result in increased vaporization. The valvesA and overflow pipes should be so constructed that, if the outside of the expansion chamber. The valves in these pipes, of course, can all be dispensed with if desired.

The residue may be drawn o from each compartment through pipes 19 having desired, they .can be regulated from throttle valves 20', said pipes connecting to a header 21', the lower end of which header is provided` with the drawoif control valve 22. This will permit drawing oif residue in- 5 termittently or continuously from any one of the chambers.

I' claim as my invention: y

1, An apparatus `for cracking hydrocarbon oil, comprising a heating element, an eX- pansion chamber in communication with said heating element, a plurality of superimposed closed compartments disposed within said expansion chamber, means communicating between the successive compartments for permittin hydrocarbon material to pass successive y through the compartments, means associated with said communicating means for controlling the pressure maintained in each of said compartments and for maintaining a lpredetermined liquid level in each of said compartments.

2. A process for converting high boiling 'point hydrocarbon oils into a lower boiling point product, consisting in initially subjecting the oil to cracking conditions of temperature and pressure in a heating zone, in thereafter collecting the oil in a plurality of separated pools in an enlarged reaction zone, in maintaining successively lower pressures on said pools, in admitting the hot oil from the heating zone to the pool maintained under the highest pressure, in causing the vaporous constituents evolved from the oil in each pool, except the last, to percolate through the body of oil in the next succeeding pool, in taking' off vapors for dephlegmation from the last of said successive pools, and in preventing the return of unvaporized residual oil from said pools to said heating 40 zone.

LESTER KIRSCHBRAUN. 

